A Dawn of Onyx (The Sacred Stones, #1)(63)

It was the question I was dreading. It would be the night before the eclipse. When I needed to make it back into the woods for the burrowroot. And, truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I was any more likely to reach my family if I fled with Halden.

“The king is trying to track down my family. If he finds them, and I’m gone…” I wasn’t sure how to finish that thought. Would Kane harm them out of anger?

“I can protect you, Arwen. King Gareth’s spies are just as good if not better than Onyx’s. We can find your family together.”

Some part of me still softened at his comforting words. His self-assured smile, even behind bars. “I know. But how are you going to get out of your cell? Even if most of the guards are caught up in the revelry, how will you get through the woods?”

Halden snorted. “The woods aren’t as dangerous as I’m sure they’ve led you to believe. Just trust me. The night of the feast, when you hear an explosion, you’ll have a few minutes to get to the North Gate. Can you do that?”

But shock had my heart rattling in my chest, making it hard to respond.

“An explosion? What in the Stones are you planning?”

“The less you know, the better,” he said with sincerity.

“I need more than that. You cannot hurt the people of this castle. They are innocents.”

He shook his head. “Of course not. Is that really what you think of me?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. Guilt seeped in like red wine on a white dress—sticky and spreading and impossible to ignore.

Halden exhaled, and bit at his thumbnail again. “One of my men is a warlock. He can blow these cell doors open anytime. The explosion will free a path for us out of here and barely rattle the great hall above us,” he gestured upward. “But even then, we’d never make it past the soldiers that guard the North Gate. The night of the banquet they’ll be underprepared and overwhelmed with people. It’s our best shot. I promise, nobody will get hurt.”

It seemed like a fine plan. Not foolproof, but the best they could do on such short notice.

“I have to go. I don’t have much time.” I stood to leave but Halden grabbed my hand through the bars.

“Wait.” He pulled me so I was pressed into the railing, and his rough hands enclosed my own through the bars. “Do you remember when we watched those shooting stars on the roof of the Tipsy Boar?”

I pictured the chilly night, bundled up in his arms atop the local tavern. He had seen the stars falling and wanted a better view. Somehow, he had convinced me to climb up there with him. I was sure at any moment the whole structure would crumble under our weight and we would land in a heap of ale and glass.

“Of course,” I said.

His russet eyes had gone heavy-lidded and seeped in lust. “And do you remember what we did when the last star had faded from the sky?” His voice took on a huskier tone, and my cheeks warmed.

“Of course,” I repeated.

“I think of that night constantly… Just in case something goes wrong, I’d never forgive myself for not kissing you one last time.”

Before I could register his intent, Halden pulled me toward him until the cool iron pressed against the sides of my face, and his warm lips brushed mine. It was a tentative kiss. Safe and familiar. I had missed him so terribly after he left, and fantasized of a moment like this—well, without the dungeon element. But now… I couldn’t place the feeling exactly. It was soothing to be so close to him again. My toes still curled at his touch. But something was missing.

He pulled away, his gaze holding mine, and squeezed my hands tightly. “You’ll meet me there, at the North Gate?”

Would I?

Halden could help me find the burrowroot in the woods, more likely than I could ever find it alone. He cared about me, and always would. And I couldn’t stay here another minute with Kane after who he had revealed himself to be, time and time again. I doubted he ever really planned to find my family for me. He was a liar, and always had been, so what kind of future did I have here in Shadowhold? It was safer to stick with the man I knew than the king I didn’t.

“Yes,” I finally answered. “Good luck.”

I made my way up the stairs two at a time and exhaled a breath I wasn’t even aware I was holding when the guard from earlier was still standing watch. I breezed past him and didn’t slow until Mari and I had made it all the way back into the apothecary.

***

The slice of the sword sailing through the air next to my head was a little too close for comfort.

“Watch it!” I said, dodging just in time.

Dagan continued his attack, coming at me with a ferocity I hadn’t seen from him before. But I wasn’t afraid. I parried each blow and used my size and agility to my benefit. Dagan was older, taller, and slower than me. Which meant I could be scrappy and move around him with ease. With a second to spare, I caught my breath and swung at him, nipping his leather armor.

He paused to study the nick, wiping sweat from his brow. A smile played on his lips, but he said nothing. I wanted terribly to gloat or jump in the air at my slight victory, but overexertion forced me to brace my hands on my knees and catch my breath instead.

“Last lesson for the day,” he said.

Thank the Stones. It was only morning, but the week had flown by, and I had too much to do before the banquet tonight. Dagan unstrapped his outer armor, dropping it on the grass unceremoniously. He sat down and motioned for me to sit across from him. The grass was cool on my palms, and I inhaled the scent of blossoming gardenia. There was so much I took for granted about these mornings out here. Now that this was my last one, I realized I would miss it quite terribly.